Premature birth on the rise

Preemies more common

One baby in eight – well over half a million a year – is born premature, and the rate of preterm deliveries has risen steadily over the last two decades. And there are troubling signs that a good proportion of these preterm births may be due to unnecessary cesareans – figures show that ‘near-term’ babies account for 70% of all premature births, and that the majority were delivered by c-section.

A full-term pregnancy lasts from 38 to 42 weeks and babies born before the end of week 37 are considered to be premature. Doctors know little about what exactly triggers early labor or how to stop it, especially for very early preemies born before 32 weeks who are most likely to die or suffer devastating disabilities such as cerebral palsy or retardation.

At 35 weeks, your unborn baby’s brain weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 40 weeks – and early birth can lead to learning or behavioral delays. Also, those last few weeks are vital for the development of your unborn baby’s lungs and her sucking reflex. Being even a few weeks early can cause breathing problems and mean she’ll have difficulties breastfeeding. Preemies are also at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smaller babies grow up at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke – and new federal data shows that 8.2% of US babies are born at low birthweight, a level not seen in the last four decades.

Medical guidelines advise that a c-section shouldn’t be scheduled preterm unless there are medical reasons that make it necessary. However, uncomfortable moms-to-be may request an early delivery and doctors may agree and cite a minor reason, such as the slight rise in blood pressure that’s common in late pregnancy. The problem is that pregnancy is dated from your last menstrual period so for your first two weeks you’re not even pregnant. If you then get your dates mixed up it’s possible you might not be as far along in your pregnancy as you thought, meaning your baby will be even more at risk from early delivery.

Other factors that come into play with the rise in preterm birth include the increase in babies conceived through IVF, which has led to more multiple births 9this also partly accounts for the rising number of low birthweight babies, since twins are generally smaller than singletons). A twin pregnancy carries more risk of prematurity and women carrying twins aren’t left to go to full-term. Older moms-to-be also come into play – more older women are having babies, and age increases prematurity risk.

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